Aiyana-Lee is a London born songstress, whose career began in the early 2010’s after uploading her work to Youtube. Aiyana-Lee’s music career took off after appearing on UK rappers KSI song ‘Killa Killa’. The rising star’s latest offering ‘Gangster of love’, is a defiant yet heartfelt R&B ballad, which showcases Aiyana’s vocals at their powerful best. Written by Coleridge Tillman whose writing credits include pop powerhouses like Alessia Cara and Jennifer Lopez.
The song is centered on falling for that special someone but still reminding them that you are not to be messed with. Aiyana-Lee is letting the object of her affections know to not let the sweetness fool ya. Aiyana-Lee finds herself laying all her emotions on the floor practically pleading with her lover to not mess up this chance and force her to switch up. The raw emotion is evident in her vocals throughout the song. Despite Aiyana-Lee starting out strong and defiant with her tempo and vocals, as the song progresses you can feel Aiyana-Lee’s vocals transmit the anger and defiance towards someone who dares to treat her poorly.
“If I give you the keys to my heart and you break it. Then just know I might key your car.”
Aiyana-Lee also takes time to show off her full range of vocal prowess. Effortlessly switching from her delicate and sultry higher register, into her grittier lower register, full of emotion, without missing a single beat. The song is an emotional ride, reminiscent of 90s R&B ballads reimagined in a modern sound. With a mid-tempo percussion-based beat, helping progress the song seamlessly to translate the building emotion of the song.
‘Gangster of Love’ is the perfect winter time ballad to enjoy on a rainy day with a glass of red. A relatable R&B ballad which will have listeners ready to tell anyone who cares to listen that they are the s***!
Listen to ‘Gangster of Love’ here.
Words: Dylan Hannigan
